Apparatus for the picking up of loops or meshes dropped in hosiery and knitted goods



AIPARA TUS FOR THE PICKING-UPOF LOOPS OR IISIIS DROPPID IN HOSIERY AND KNITTED GOODS Filed 001;. 1, 1938 1939- s. SCHLESINGER 2,175,000

Inventor 51:9 pfund Sables-1' lv' A i t orneg Patentedv Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR THE PICKING UPOF LOOPS OR MESHES DROPPED IN HOSIERY AND KNITTED GOODS Sigmund Schlesinger, Budapest, Hungary Application October 1,

6Claims.

The invention relates to an apparatus for the picking-up of loops or meshes dropped in hosiery and knitted goods, the part of the said apparatus carrying the needle being connected in known manner with a piston displaceable in the interior of a cylinder. According to the invention the needle carrier is lifted from its position of rest by means of a vacuum produced above the piston, a resilient returning member being simultaneously tensioned, whilst the return motion of the said needle carrier is effected in such a manner that the vacuum is suddenly suppressed whereupon the returning member effects the return of the said needle carrier. For producing the intermittent vacuum a pump fitted with a suction piston is employed, the said pump being fitted with a control device which after the completion of thesuction stroke of the piston connects the interior of the cylinder with the atmosphere, whilst at the beginning of the suction stroke this connection is again stopped by the said device, Accordingly. during the suction stroke of the pump the working piston of the needle carrier is displaced by the effect of suction, whilst after the suppression of the vacuum by the control device the returning member of the needle carrier, which member has been pre-tensioned during the working stroke, will return the needle carrierinto its position of rest.

Appliances for the picking-up of loops or meshes dropped have already been disclosed in which the alternating movement of the needle carrier is efiected by pushes of compressed air. These known types of appliances present the drawback that the lubricating oil required for the lubrication of the small compressor is liable to be carried along with the flow of compressed.

"drawback has been eliminated, as it is possible to employ a suction pump for efiecting such motion, in which the carrying along of oil and impurities into the connecting hose is impossible. Further there results the advantage important for the operation of the picking-up device that in case the machine is shut down the needle re- 1938, Serial No. 232,749

In Austria June 23, 1937 mains in the pushed-forward position, i. e. in the loop, whereby the safety of operation is substantially increased.

In the accompanying drawing one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is shown in a diagrammatical manner. The draw- .ing .illustrates a vertical section through the suction pump employed for driving the appliance and a partly sectional view of the needle carrier connected to the pump by means of an air hose.

The suction pump l is fitted with a singleacting suction piston 3 fitted with a leather sleeve 2, the said piston being journalled in a manner permitting displacement in the longitudinal direction on the piston rod 4. The piston 3 is fitted with bore-holes 6 which are during the suction stroke of the piston closed by a packing plate 6 arranged below the piston and fastened on the piston rod t. After reaching the upper dead centre position the plate 6 will simultaneously with the piston rod move in the downward direction, whereas the piston 3 will owing to the friction of the leather sleeve on the cylinder wall lag behind. In consequence hereof the piston, viz. its lower packing surface I will become lifted off from the packing plate 6 01' the piston rod, so as to enable air to penetrate through the bore-holes 5 of the piston into the interior of the cylinder and the vacuum will be suppressed. The formation of a pressure above the atmosphere duringthe downward movement of the piston is rendered impossible bythe fact that it is only at the beginning of the suction stroke that the bore-holes are being closed. During the downward movement of the piston rod the piston is supported against a stop 8 consisting of an adjustable ring or the like and fixed on the piston rod by means of a punch screw 9 or the like. By displacing the stop 8 it is possible to regulate the length of the working stroke of the piston and to adjust the time at which the flow-overopeningsSprovided in the pistonare becoming closed, thus enabling the drive of the repassing needle to be influenced so as to suit the piece of work and the particular manner of working. The piston rod of the pump is driven in the usual manner by means of a crank or eccentric. The cylinder I0, open at the top, is closed at the bottom and is fitted in the vicinity of the bottom with a threaded socket II for fixing the hose on it.

The tool serving for the guidance of the needle is composed of the cylinder l2 constructed as a handle, which in its interior carries a suction piston ii, to which the part It carrying the needle is joined. The suction piston is forced into the foremost position by a resilient pressure member arranged between the piston and the cylinder cover, e. g. by the compression spring IE. to the invention the piston together with the .needle carrier and with the needle is drawn back under the influence oi the vacuum, whereas the thrusting forward 01 the needle is eflected by means of the spring I! or of a resilient pressure member equivalent thereto. In order to mitigate the action of the spring shock, a buifing member l6 consisting either of a helical spring of smaller strength, or of a rubber butter or the like is provided below the suction piston. The cylinder constructed as a handle carries, in a known manner, small discs l'l for applying the fingers oi the hand on them and a threaded socket ii! for fixing the suction hose IS on it, said hose having its other end connected to socket ll of the pump.

What I claim is: i

1. An apparatus for the picking-up of loops or meshes dropped in hosiery and knitted goods,

comprising a needle carrier being connected with a piston which is displaceable in the interior of a cylinder, a pump producing a vacuum above the said piston, the needle carrier being lifted from its position of rest by means of the said vacuum, and a resilient returning member being tensioned simultaneously with the lifting of the needle carrier and effecting the return motion of the said needle carrier, by a sudden suppression of the vacuum.

When operating the appliance according 2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which for producing the intermittent vacuum a pump fitted with a suction piston is provided, the said pump being fitted with a control device which after the completion of the suction stroke connects the interior of the cylinder with the atmosphere and stops this connection at the beg'inningof the suction stroke.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the suction piston of the pump is Journalled on the piston rod in such a manner as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction and is fitted with bore-holes which latter are during the suction stroke closed by a closing member fastened on the piston rod. I

4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which for limiting the possibility oi. displacement in the longitudinal direction of the'suction piston a stop is provided on the piston rod by the adjustment of which stop the relative possibility of movement of the piston can be controlled.

5. The apparatus in claim 1, in which in a cylinder constructed as a handle, a resilient pressure member is arranged between the piston and the cylinder cover in such a manner, that the piston with the needle carrier and the needle is forced by the pressure member into the foremost position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which on the vided which absorbs the back-thrust of the needle carrier.

- BIGMUND SCHLESINGEi't.

- front end of the piston a bufflng member is pro- 

